Mark Twain wrote:
The first link suggests changing the user account
and logging out of safe mode and logging in as another
user. That isn't the problem,......

The second link is exactly what i'm doing but
neither the F8 or F12 are working ,... I even
tried F10 because I read somewhere to use that
instead of F12 but it didn't work either.

I'm not trying to get into Safe Mode per se, I'm
just saying the F8 and F12 keys aren't functioning.

Normally, when logging on the F12 flashes on the top
right of the screen but it doesn't do that it goes
straight to the MBR and there is only one choice: Windows 7

Whereas I tested the 780 and the F12 flashed as I logged on
and both the F8 and F12 worked and instead of just Windows 7
to choose from, it had Windows 7 and Restore.

So the 780 is functioning normally but the 8500 isn't.

I hope your not going to tell me that we need to rebuild
the entire HD all over again to regain this feature.

Robert

Absolutely not.

It's not an OS issue, when the OS isn't even running
yet. When it's BIOS time, the BIOS gets to call
the shots, on what keys it will listen to.

This is a BIOS issue as far as I'm concerned.

F2 should always work.

You need to start by testing that you can even
enter the BIOS. Do you use Fn F2 to enter
the BIOS or just F2 to enter the BIOS ?

I checked the 8500 user manual, and there is no
BIOS entry specifically affecting F2/F8/F12.
F2 enters the BIOS. F12 is the popup boot menu.
F8 isn't intercepted as near as I can tell
(F8 is not mentioned in the 8500 manual I'm using).

There is a setting called "Boot Menu Security" in
the BIOS, which *might* affect F12, but I can't
find additional information using that search term,
anywhere. "Boot Menu Security" is disabled by
default. You could enter the BIOS and see if it
happens to be enabled or not (a non-default value
for the setting).

Paul